


The Seer

by swiftishere



Series: MSA AU Bin [5]
Category: Mystery Skulls Animated
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, M/M, Medium!Arthur (Mystery Skulls Animated), angst with a side of fluff, arthur isnt blind he's just wearing a mask, im putting this caveat in because i feel like it might not have been super clear, rapunzel au if you squint really hard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-28
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:07:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26695738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/swiftishere/pseuds/swiftishere
Summary: There is a tower far away from the rest of the world, a place people only visit out of necessity. Until today, that is.For some reason, Lewis is drawn back to the tower. Not to divine the future or discover the past - a simple social call, to properly speak to its occupant.
Relationships: Arthur & Lewis (Mystery Skulls Animated), Arthur/Lewis (Mystery Skulls Animated)
Series: MSA AU Bin [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1942603
Comments: 6
Kudos: 87





	The Seer

The gryphon landed on the soft grass without a sound. Its clawed front legs tore light marks into the earth, as it pranced forward a few steps. Lewis slid off its side, not looking at the ground but rather upwards at the structure in front of him. 

He hadn't really had time to appreciate the gate the first time he'd been here. But now he noticed that it was made of stone, carved into intricate patterns, and covered in a thin carpet of moss. He could see a large bell hanging from the top of it, that would ring every time the gate was opened, alerting the tower ahead that someone was coming.

The tower he couldn't see from here, but on his way in, he'd gotten a glimpse of it. Enough to know which way to go once he was through the gate.

Despite its old, heavy look, the gate swung open at a light touch, sending the bell tolling in turn. He glanced back over his shoulder, but his gryphon was shying away, ears folded tightly back and wings slightly raised in a display of caution. What exactly unnerved the animals about this place, he wasn't sure, but they couldn't get their mounts to come with them last time either.

He trusted it to stay put, and went forward on his own.

Dappled sunlight shone in from above, gently illuminating the remains of what had once been a path. He wasn't _technically_ supposed to be here, and he didn't think anyone would be too happy if they found out, but he hadn't been exactly _forbidden_ from returning either. And he hadn't been able to get this place out of his head. Well, it wasn't exactly like there was much security around here, he'd figured. As long as he didn't tell anyone about the repeat visit, they didn't have to know.

It wasn't much longer before he took one more step and the trees suddenly spread out before him, revealing a large clearing. Plenty of things still grew here, a vast natural-looking garden that ringed the whole area, save for a small gap to finish the path through. In the center stood a tower, made of the same worked stone as the gate, and just as covered in plant life. Now that he was here alone, the atmosphere of the place felt much different. Somber, serene... he'd be tempted to call it _abandoned_ if he didn't know better.

At first his hand hovered over the door handle- the first time, they'd just gone in- but then he thought again, and decided to knock.

There was no response from inside, and he wasn't sure what to make of that.

"May I come in?" he tried calling.

There was another moment of silence, but then a soft voice from the other side of the door. "Of course." It sounded _confused_ more than anything, and his heart sank. Didn't anyone ever knock?

The inside of the tower hadn't changed much. It still made him shiver as the temperature dropped abruptly, and it was still the same bare stone, undecorated aside from the circle etched into the floor that created a slight dip. On the edge of the circle, not quite across from the door, was knelt the person he'd come to see. A slight, pale young man wearing simple, finely-made, but faded clothes. Orange-blond hair hung almost to his shoulders, clean but left limp and unstyled. Much of his face was covered by an eyeless stone mask, only his mouth exposed.

He looked so very small, sitting there, facing blankly forward and unable to even see him. Small and fragile and distant. Why were they all so afraid of him?

Yes, it had been unnerving, watching him take the mask off and stare at the object they'd placed in front of him, and carefully detail every moment of its future. But it was only _sight_. Did it really warrant all these precautions?

“Hey,” he said to announce his presence.

The Seer’s head tipped back in response to the sound. His voice was the same as ever, quiet and slightly scratchy. “Oh, s-sir Lewis! How- how, uh... c-can I help you?”

"I just came to see you."

"R-right. Not much else, uh, h-here. So, another prophecy? So- so s-soon?"

He couldn't help but frown as he sat down across from him. "No, I mean- I don't need anything, I just... wanted to talk."

There was a pause, the Seer's mouth hanging slightly open like he wanted to respond but wasn't sure how. "I... don't understand."

He resisted the urge to wince. His suspicions about the conditions of the Seer's life had been right, it seemed. "Uh- hey, I brought you something!" Honestly, he'd forgotten about the gift until now, too preoccupied with his thoughts. He slipped the small bag off his shoulder and held it out in front of him. And then remembered that there was no way he could see what he was doing, and huffed a small laugh to himself. Gently he reached out and picked up one of the Seer's hands, guiding it to the box.

"Oh!" Once he understood, the Seer was quick to reach out and take the offered gift, checking it over with his hands. "Uh, a... a b-box. Neat."

The joke actually got a laugh out of Lewis. "There's food inside! You open- there's a clasp, here-" he reached over again to show him.

When he lifted the lid, the smell of seasoned meat and grilled vegetables wafted out, and despite the mask he could see a definite change in his expression. There was a long moment of silence.

"Did... did the king ask you to- to do th-this?"

"No, I just thought, uh, I'm not sure how much food you've got here- or cooked stuff, anyway, and," he waved a hand, rubbing the back of his neck, "we had some leftovers- my family has a restaurant- and I figured I'd share some? We've got no room- and no reason to keep them- but all that stuff should keep for a few days, more if you've got someplace cold to put them."

Slowly, the Seer closed the box again, and wrapped his arms around it, holding it a bit more tightly.

"You sh-shouldn't be here."

"Little late for that."

"Isn't there... th-there... anything I can do f-for you?"

_Don't worry about it_ was the first answer that came to Lewis's lips, but he paused and rethought. "What's your name?"

He exhaled sharply. "Uh- it- Arthur. You... c-can call me Arthur."

"Well, Arthur," he stood slowly, "do you mind me coming around again sometime?"

"...well, s- _someone_ will."

Lewis decided to take that as a _no, I don't_. "I'll deal with that when I get to it. For now, though, uh- Sorrel'll get upset if I wait too long, so I think I'd better get going now."

"Sorrel?"

"My gryphon! Maybe sometime if I can get her to come in, you can meet her. She's, uh, not much of a fan of your tower, though."

"Most ani- animals aren't."

Lewis paused on his way out the door, looking back. For a moment, he debated staying a while, but thought better of it in the end. "I'm... sure she'll get used to it. See you around, Arthur."

The briefest flicker of a smile flashed across his face. "'bye, Lewis." 


End file.
